Their Angel
by Lady Kakirachan
Summary: While L and Watari are away solving the biggest case of 1995, who will be left to watch over the other children of Wammy's House? LxOC
1. Her name is Alice

Their Angel

Chapter 1: Her name is Alice

Snow began to fall as a young woman, wearing a school uniform with shoulder length dark brown hair and bright blue eyes ran to a bakery and candy shop, holding onto her small white purse. She took a deep breathe then sighed, smelling the wonderful aroma that filled the little shop. As she walked up to the counter, she noticed an old man in a suit talking to the owner.

"So, the usual order then?"

"Yes; all of your finest strawberry cakes, candies and chocolates as my tab will allow." She noticed several bags next to the man's feet filled with white boxes and what she thought was a toy robot. The owner looked over at the girl and smiled. "Oh, Alice! How are you?"

Alice smiled, "I'm fine, Blaine. Just got caught by the snow." She looked over at the old man and bowed in respect. "Hello, sir. My name is Alice. It's a pleasure to meet you." The elderly man turned to her and smiled.

"Why, hello, Alice. It's a pleasure meeting you as well."

"If you don't mind me asking, why do you have so many bags?" The old man laughed a little bit as the owner handed Alice a large bag filled with week-old baked goods.

"Well, you see I'm shopping for four children I watch over… well, three little boys and a teenager I should say; a 4-year old, 5-year old, a 6-year old and a 16-year old, if memory serves. What about you, Alice? That's a lot of sweets for one girl to eat by herself." Alice smiled and closed the bag. "Oh, these? These are for the children I often visit at the local orphanages around town."

"I see…"

"Sir, your order is ready." Blaine smiled and handed the old man three more bags. The man nodded and attempted to carry all of his bags at once, nearly dropping half of them. Alice quickly put her bag down and took some of the bags from him. "Please, sir. Let me help you with that." Alice said to him with a smile.

"Oh, are you sure, miss Alice? You really don't have to."

"I insist. Mr. Blaine, could you hold on to my bag for me while I help him with his?" Blaine nodded as Alice opened the door, letting the man out first.

"So," she said, "Where do these children live?"

"Just follow me, Miss Alice."

The man led Alice to a huge building behind a stone fence. "Welcome to Wammy's House, Miss Alice," he said with a smile as Alice smiled back and followed him up the stairs. "I believe the younger three are asleep right now, but I'll introduce you to the oldest one." The man opened the door, "I'm back." As Alice walked in, she saw a small boy, about 5 years old with fiery red hair, running around with his pants on his head yelling, "I'm a ninja! You can't see me!!" The old man looked aghast as a young man, about 16 wearing a long sleeve white shirt and baggy jeans, ran up to the child and picked him up. "Got you. You are not a ninja… who told you that?"

The old man coughed as the teen looked at him and Alice. "Oh, you're back," he said, putting the child down, "And who is that?" Before the man could answer, Alice placed the bags down, reached into her purse and pulled out a small napkin. Kneeling down, she began to wiped the child's face off. "Now, why would such a cute little boy run around with his pants on his head?" The child grinned.

"I'mma ninja! I was gonna attack the chocolate monster with my neat ninja skills!" Alice laughed and helped the child back into his pants. The teen sighed and started to walk away when the old man coughed again.

"How did this happened?" The youth faced the man with his hands in his pockets.

"I was reviewing the evidence from the case in the U.S. I told Mello to watch Matt for only five minutes."

"And in five minutes, Matt became a nudist. I instructed you not to review the case until after I returned, L." Alice looked up in surprise.

"You… are L? The famous detective?" The teen turned his attention to Alice as another child, about 6 years old with shiny blonde hair and a chocolate bar in his hand, ran up to L and grabbed his pants leg. L looked down and sighed, "Why did you tell Matt he was a ninja?" The child smiled as Alice stood up.

"He was getting on my nerves. 'Play with me, Mello… I'm bored, Mello…'" The old man shook his head in disbelief as Alice noticed something from the corner of her eyes.

"Regardless, Mello. I trusted you to look over Matt and you failed to do so. And another thing, I --" L stopped as Alice walked towards the living room, "Where is she going?" Alice stopped at the far corner and kneeled down. She smiled softly, "You don't have to be so shy. I'm a friend." Mello walked over to her and started laughing. He saw a small boy, dressed in white pajamas that looked a little too big for him, twirling his curly white hair sitting on the floor.

"That's Near. He doesn't talk much and he's very, very shy," Mello said as Alice walked over to the bags she set down and pulled out the robot. She walked back over to the shy child and held out the toy. She then whispered as soft as an angel, "Hi, Near. I'm Alice. This toy is for you." Near looked at the young woman for a moment then took the robot, with a smile finding its way on his face.

"Amazing," L said, looking over at Near as he hugged the toy, "Near never opens up to people he doesn't know… unless he feels that he can trust them. What did you say your name was?" Alice stood up, dusting off her uniform and smiled.

"My name is Alice Fairbrook and it's an honor to meet all of you."


	2. Big Sister Alice

Chapter 2: Big Sister Alice

Alice quickly rode her bike through the 4 inch snow, carrying her backpack, two overnight bags, and her purse. She stopped at the front gate of the orphanage and saw L and the old man standing there. She stepped off her bike and sat her bags down. L looked at her then at a clock tower. "4:30 am," he said, his hands in his pockets, "I didn't think you'd be here so quickly." Alice smiled, "Well, when it comes to children, I'm always fast."

"I see. Watari will give you a list of emergency numbers and some important information about the three children."

"Watari?" Alice asked as the old man smiled and handed her two pieces of paper. "If you feel the need to call, please keep in mind the different time zones. Noon here is roughly 8 am in America." Alice nodded as Watari handed her a set of keys and a black car drove up to them. "You can count on me. I promise I won't let anything happen to them." Alice said, picking up her bags as Watari and L get inside the car. "Oh, one more thing," L said, "We never know how long these investigations will last. I'll call you two days in advance if it looks like we're done." As the car drove away, Alice walked up to the door and opened it slowly. She placed her bike behind the door and placed her bags on the floor next to a couch. She sat in front of the lit fireplace and sighed. She looked down at the papers in her hand and started reading them to herself. For two pages, front and back, they sure left detailed instructions and information. Alice pulled out a blueberry muffin from her backpack and started eating, still looking over the information. She laughed to herself as she came across two bits of information: _The oldest of the three __loves__ chocolate and will eat that over real food, while the youngest may not eat anything at all. Very fussy eater._

She sighed as she heard footsteps coming down the stairs. The young woman turned her head to see the youngest of the three, holding onto his robot in one hand while wiping his eyes with the other.

"What are you doing up so early, Near?" Alice whispered as she noticed that he was crying, "Did you have a nightmare?" He walked over to her and laid his head on her lap. Alice smiled softly as she rubbed his head. "There, there… it was only a dream. It won't hurt you." Before she knew it, Near had fallen asleep with a small smile on his face. She giggled to herself and covered him with her jacket. She wrapped the rest of her muffin up, putting it back in her backpack, and started to drift to sleep as well when her watch started beeping. She sleepily looked at it and sighed. "5 already?" She turned the alarm off and rested her head on a couch cushion behind her and drifted to sleep.

A few hours later, Alice woke up and looked around. The sun was shining through the windows and Alice covered her eyes. She looked down and saw Near still sleeping in her lap. She smiled and looked at her watch, "7:15. Time to start breakfast." Alice gently picked up Near and headed up the stairs. As she got to the second floor, she heard a lot of noise coming from behind two of the doors. Careful not to wake Near, she opened one of the doors to see Matt playing a game system in his pajamas. "Good morning, Matt," she said as the child looked over at her.

"Huh? You're that lady…" he said as she pulled out a striped shirt and a pair of jeans.

"Get dressed, okay? No more ninjas."

"Where's big brother?"

Alice sighed, "Big brother went on a trip to stop some bad people. I'm going to need your help with breakfast so hurry up, ok?" Matt nodded and began changing his clothes as Alice walked to the other door and opened it. She saw the oldest child jumping on his bed with a dart gun in one hand and an empty chocolate bar wrapper in the other. "Good morning, Mello," Alice said, smiling as Mello shot a dart at her forehead.

"You're dead," he laughed as Alice took the dart off her head and pulled out a long-sleeve black shirt and pants for him. "Get dressed. Breakfast will be ready soon." The child gave her a cold glare before jumping down from his bed and pulling off his pajamas. Alice closed the door and headed for a room with the door cracked open. As she stepped in, she stepped on a small building block and flinched. She carefully stepped over all the toys and placed Near on a bed on the other side of the room. She gently shook Near's shoulder as he yawned and opened his eyes.

"Good morning, Near," she whispered as he sat up, "Are you hungry?" Near nodded as Alice took him by the hand and led him down the stairs.

Alice pulled down 3 different bowls down from the cabinet and some milk from the refrigerator, as well as 3 different boxes of cereal. She looked over at Near, who sat on the floor, playing with his hair, as Matt and Mello walked up to her. Alice filled the first bowl and poured some milk in as well. She handed the bowl to Mello, "Chocolate blasters with marshmallows for Mello." Matt walked over to her, playing a hand-held game. Alice took the game away and handed him a bowl as well, "Crunchy French toast bits for little Matt." Matt followed Mello to the table as Alice pours some cereal in the last bowl and walked over to Near. She kneeled in front of him and smiled. "And Strawberries crunch for Near." Near looked up at her, took the bowl and started eating. She stood up, walked over to the cabinet, and pulled down 4 cups. Alice opened the refrigerator, placed the milk back and pulled out some orange juice. She poured an equal amount in each cup and handed Matt and Mello their cups. She handed Near his cup as she sat at the table and took a sip of her juice.

"So…when is big brother coming back?" Mello asked as Alice sighed.

"He said he'll call when he's on his way back home. He doesn't know when."

"Okay… So what do we call you then?"

"Well, my name is Alice, but you can call me Ali if you want… or even 'big sister'."

Mello scoffed and continued eating as Matt placed his empty bowl and cup in the dishwasher. He walked over to Alice, his hand held out. "Hmm?" She looked at him then smiled. Alice pulled his game and handed it to him, "There you go, Matt. Enjoy." Matt grinned, nodded and walked into the living room as Near tugged on her shirt. Alice looked down and nodded again. "Okay, Near. You can leave." He nodded back and walked away as Mello tosses his things in the dishwasher as well. As he walked into the living room, he mumbled, "No way am I calling _you_ big sister…"


	3. Snow Day

Chapter 3: Snow Day

Alice walked into the living room and saw Mello looking through her bags. "Mello!" she yelled, running up to him, "These are my things. Leave them alone." Mello smirked at her and held up a white lace bra.

"What's this suppose to be? And how do you wear it?" Mello asked, putting it on his head as Alice's face turned a deep red. She quickly took it from him and zipped her bags back up. "That's something you'll have to find out on your own when you're older."

"It's a snow day!!" Matt said as Alice looked outside. The whole town was blanketed by at least half a foot of snow and Matt was jumping up and down at the window. "Ali, could we go play in the snow?" he asked, putting his game down, running up to Alice and jumping up and down again.

"Pleasepleasepleasepleasepleaseplease??!!" Alice couldn't help but laugh at Matt. "Of course, Matt. But you have to get bundled up first."

"Yea!! C'mon, Mello! Let's get ready!" Matt took off up the stairs with Mello following him as Alice sat down, looking up at the ceiling. She smiled then started in her bags for a coat, mittens, a hat, pants, and her boots. Near looked up from a 10,000-piece puzzle he was working on as she wrapped a black scarf around her neck and a small blue one around Near's neck.

"Do you want to come play with us, Near?" He nodded as Matt pushed a hat on Near's head and placed some earmuffs on his ears. The small child looked over at Matt as he smiled at Near. "Got to make sure you stay nice and warm. Don't want you turning into a snowman, Near." He stood up as Mello came down with Near's boots, mittens and coat. Alice smiled. "Okay, everyone. Let's go."

Alice stood on the steps outside as the children ran around, laughing and playing. Matt and Mello were throwing snowballs at each other while Near, staying close to Alice, built a miniature city out of the snow. She sighed to herself as a snowball hit her in the face, causing her to fall. Alice quickly sat up, wiping the snow off her face and said, "Who threw that?" Matt hid behind a pile of snow, laughing, "How do you like my level one ice spell? Pretty effective, right Ali?" She laughed, "No effect." Matt stood up as Alice stepped down and started making a snowball.

"A level one ice spell is ineffective against someone who's element is ice. In fact, you heal them. Tell me, do you know any level two or three spells?" Matt shook his head no as Alice grinned.

"Hold your spell longer in your hands…" she said, rolling her snowball to the size of a honeydew, "And focus on your target. Try to predict their moves." She stood up and faced Matt, who took a noticeable step backwards. "Since your element is fire… say your prayers, Matt. You're mine!" Alice took off in the direction Matt was at as he began to run. Matt didn't make it 3 feet from the steps when Alice ran in front of him and threw the ball at him, knocking him over. She smiled then laughed.

"Critical hit plus elemental bonus equals an overkill of the first degree. Game Over." Mello started laughing as Matt sat up, took his goggles off and laughed. "You win, Ali. I need to learn that level three ice spell you did." Alice walked over to him and help the child to his feet. "Alright, you guys. It's tine to head inside."

"Do we have to, Ali?" Matt sighed.

"Yes, we do. That is, if you don't want any dark hot chocolate…" Mello smiled as Near stood up.

"Let's go inside already, Matt! I want some hot chocolate right now!" Mello said, dragging Matt inside as Near followed behind quickly.

Mello sat in front of the fireplace with a cup of hot chocolate in his hands. He took a sip and sighed. "Whoa, I love it. It's the best hot chocolate I've ever had." Alice sat on the couch and took of a sip of hers.

"Thank you. I made it myself. How do you like it, Matt?" Matt looked up at her and grinned. "It's good. And this is homemade?" Alice nodded as she heard a phone ringing.

"I got it!" Mello said, running into the hallway and picking up the receiver.

"Hello?"

"_Mello? Where's Alice?"_

"Depends. Who are you?"

"_It's big brother."_

"L! How are you? Where are you? When are you coming back?"

"_Bored. In an airport in America. I have no idea. Now, let me speak to Alice."_

"Ok," he sighed, covering the receiver, "Alice! Telephone!" Alice stood up and walked over to the phone, taking it from Mello. "Thanks, Mello." She placed it by her ear.

"Hello?"

"_Alice, how is everything?"_

"Everything's fine. No problems here."

"_That's good. Watari and I will be stationed at a local hotel. I'll give you a call from there."_

"Ok. See you then."

"_Also, if you're wondering, their Christmas gifts are in my room. You'll have to place them under the tree around 2 or 3 in the morning."_

"Okay." She heard a click and hung up the phone. She walked back to the living room and noticed that only Near was sitting by the fireplace, working on his puzzle. She smiled and took a sip of her chocolate.


	4. Christmas at Wammy

Chapter 4: Christmas at Wammy's

"Matt, put your game down and come help us decorate the tree," Alice said, smiling. It was Christmas' Eve and, as instructed by L and Watari, they were decorating the tree. Matt nodded, putting his game down, and walked over to Alice, who handed him some of the plastic tree balls.

"Start hanging those up on that side, Matt. Mello, hang that ornament over there and be careful with it. It's very fragile."

Mello nodded and careful hung the ornament where he was told to. Alice smiled as Near untangled the popcorn string and handed it to her. "Oh. Thank you, Near." He nodded and started placing some ornaments on the tree as Mello bumped into him, knocking the ornament Near had out of his hand. "Watch where you going, Near!" Mello yelled as the ornament shattered against the floor, "Uh oh." Alice sighed and shooed them away from where the ornament fell. "You guys stay right there and don't move. I need to clean up." Alice walked into the kitchen and pulled out the broom and dustpan. She swept up the glass into the dustpan and disappeared back into the kitchen. When she came back, she looked at the children on the couch.

"Okay, you guys. Back to work." She said as they jumped down from the couch and walked over to the tree. She grabbed Mello by his arm, "I need to talk to you." Mello looked up at her and smiled.

"What is it, Ali?"

"You need to apologize to Near. You know you bumped into him."

"No I didn't. He bumped into me!"

"Mello, don't lie. I saw you."

"I'm not saying sorry to that weirdo!" Alice sighed and led Mello to a corner. "Stay right there until I come to get you. We'll just decorate the tree without you." Alice walked back over to the tree as Matt placed the last ornament on the tree. "All done, Ali! Look how pretty it looks!" Matt smiled as Alice smiled as well.

"Yes, it is pretty, Matt," she said, picking up the tree topper, a gold star, "Now, who's going to put the star on?"

"I want to!" Matt said as Mello ran up to Alice.

"No way! I want to! I want to put the star up!" Alice looked down at him, "I thought you were in time out."

"Ali should put the star up." They heard a small voice said. Everyone looked at Near as he smiled. "This is her first Christmas with us. Let her do it." Mello walked over to Near and stared at him. Near looked back at Mello, "What are you looking at?"

"I'm looking for the string that we pull to get you to talk." Alice pulled Mello's ear, "Maybe we ought to put you on the tree, Mello. You'd be a good angel."

"Ow ow ow! Let go, Alice! That hurts!" Mello yelled, trying to get away as Matt laughed and Near handed Alice the star. Alice smiled and placed the star on the tree.

"There we go. All done. How does it look, everyone?"

"I like it, Ali," Matt said as Near nodded.

"Yea, it's ok." Mello mumbled as Alice looked at her watch, "Ok, you guys. It's almost time for you to go to sleep. I'll fix each of you one cup of hot chocolate each then it's off to bed, ok?" Mello smiled as Alice walked into the kitchen. Matt sat on the couch with his game as Near sat next to him and Mello on the other side of Matt. "I wonder what I got for Christmas…" Mello said.

"Probably more German chocolate…" Matt sighed, "… or maybe a dentist appointment."

"That's not funny, Matt! You know I hate the dentist!" Mello yelled as Near sighed to himself and played with his hair. Mello looked at Near, "Do you have something to say, Near? Huh?" Near looked over at him, sighed, and looked back over at the tree. Mello growled a bit as Alice came back with four cups of hot chocolate.

"Here we go, guys. Hot chocolate with marshmallows." She smiled at them as each of them took a cup. Alice sat next to Near as someone knocked on the door. "Oh. I'll get it," Alice sighed, standing back up and walking to the front door. As she opened the door, a gun barrel was shoved into her face.

"Don't scream or I'll shoot your brains out," the man at the other end of the gun said as Alice nodded, "Listen. I've heard that that detective L lives here. I came here to avenge my brother. Where is he?!" Alice swallowed hard, "L? He isn't here, sir. It's just me. I'm the housekeeper."

"Don't lie to me, woman! I know L is here!!" Alice took a step back as the man fired a shot near her foot.

"Now, where is L?!" He yelled. Alice prayed that the children don't show up right now. The man took a step inside and held the gun at Alice's forehead.

"I will ask you again: where the hell is L? And if you don't answer me, I'll kill you."

"L is-"

"Ali! Can we have some more hot chocolate?" Mello asked, walking into the hallway with Matt and Near following him as the man grinned. Alice turned her head slightly and mentally cursed herself. Mello took a step back as he saw the man point the gun at him.

"Fine. If you won't tell me where L is, I'll just kill one of them until you do." Alice stepped in front of gun and stared the man in the eyes.

"My name is Alice Fairbrook and I will guard these children with my very life… I am their guardian angel." The man laughed and shoved Alice into the wall.

"Some angel. You're too late! He's dead!" The man pulled the trigger, gun facing Mello. As Mello closed his eyes with tears running down his cheeks, he heard something hit the floor. He opened his eyes and saw Alice on the floor in front of him, clutching her left shoulder as blood dripped down her arm. "Alice!" Mello yelled running up to her.

"Don't move, Mello!" She yelled as he stopped, "Mello, take Near and Matt and run from here. I'll take care of him." Alice staggered to her feet as Mello took Matt and Near and ran towards the back of the house. The man pointed his gun at the children again as Alice round-house kicked the gun out of his hand. The gunman glared at Alice as she continued kicking him with the skill of a capoeira master. Ignoring the burning pain in her shoulder, she kicked the man in the chest, knocking him through the door as the police surround him with their weapons drawn. Alice sunk to her knees, breathing hard as the police arrested him and dragged him away. She sighed, stood up, and fixed the door back on the hinges and sat back down at the bottom of the stairwell. The young woman flinched as the pain in her shoulder came back and she started towards her bags. She kneeled down and pulled a small medical kit. As she started disinfecting the wound and pulled out the bullet, Mello, Matt and Near walked up to her with a sober look on their face. Alice looked up at them, "Oh. Hey."

"Ali… why did you do that?" Mello asked, tears running down his face as she wrapped her shoulder, flinching slightly.

"I did it… because I don't see you three just as little kids. I see you guys as my little brothers and I would never let some crazy man take you away from me." Alice smiled, pulling her arm into a sling, "Now then, are you guys ready for bed?" Before she knew it, Mello had hugged her tightly around her neck, knocking her over. "Huh?" Alice asked, looking down at him.

"T-t-thank you for s-saving me-me-me, big sister!" Mello cried as Matt and Near hugged her as well. Alice sighed and hugged them back with her good arm. "Alright, alright. Come on, you guys. Bed time."


	5. Christmas Day

Chapter 5: Christmas Day

Alice sat on the couch, knowing all three children were fast asleep, and sighed. What a way to celebrate the holidays; wounded by a crazed gunman, but what made the situation worse was that all three of them saw her being shot at. She knew that they might be traumatized by that, Mello namely. She looked over at the tree and sighed again; in all this excitement, she almost forgot to get the gifts under the tree. She stood up and carefully made her way upstairs, looking for L's room. She opened one of the doors and smiled. Alice walked in and looked around; L's room was surprising clean for someone of his age. The only messy thing was his desk that was littered with papers and candy wrappers. She continued looking until she saw a note addressed to her on his night table. Alice opened the letter and sighed again: _"Alice, the gifts are located under my bed in a red sack. Please be careful when going downstairs with them. One of the gifts tend to make noises if its bumped into. L"_ She kneeled next to his bed and gently pulled a red sack from under it. As she walked out of L's room and closed the door, she bumped her left shoulder and froze in pain. She bit her tongue to keep from yelling and took a deep breath. Alice tiptoed down the stairs and over to the tree. She kneeled down and started to place the gifts under the tree quietly as she smiled. They would have a great Christmas after all trouble. As she stood back up, she heard footsteps coming down the stairs. Alice quickly hid behind the couch and looked towards the hallway as Mello and Matt walked into the living with a flashlight and a plate of cookies.

"Mello, what makes you think Santa hasn't been here yet?" Matt asked quietly as Mello shushes him.

"Quiet, Matt. You'll wake up big sister," Mello said, pointing to the covers on the couch, "Besides, these cookies aren't for Santa. They're for Ali."

"Huh? Why Ali?"

"Matt, she saved our lives. Can that fat old man do that?"

"No… I don't think so. I mean, we only see him once a year." Mello walked over to the tree and place the plate on one of the gifts and put a card on top. "There. That way, Ali gets at least one gift from all of us this year," Mello smiled, turning to Matt, "Now, back to bed." Matt and Mello made their way back upstairs as Alice sighed and smiled. They were such good kids at heart. She stood up and left the sack folded in the corner behind the tree. It was too big of a risk to go back and put it L's room. She sat on the couch and bundled herself up in the covers. Alice closed her eyes and felt herself drifting to sleep as she heard more footsteps coming down the stairs. She didn't have the energy to stay awake as the footsteps stopped in front of her.

"Ali! Wake up! It's Christmas! It's Christmas!" she heard two voices yell. She opened her eyes and saw Mello and Matt jumping up and down in front of her and Near sitting next to her. She smiled, "Merry Christmas, you guys. Okay, you two. Stop jumping up and down." Alice undid the covers from around her and put on her slippers, "Okay, who wants to go first?" Near slid down from the couch and walked over to the tree, "Alice should go first. This is her first Christmas, after all."

"Aww… thanks for the sentiment, Near." Mello smiled and handed her the plate of cookies, "Merry Christmas, big sister. This is from all of us." Alice took the plate and looked at the card. A hand drawn picture of Mello, Matt and Near hugging Alice and in bright red marker at the bottom, it read: "Merry Christmas, Big Sister. We love you!" Alice hugged all three of them and smiled, "Oh, thank you guys. I love it." She took a cookie from the plate and smiled, "And where did these cookies come from?" Mello smiled, "Those were my cookies L brought me from America."

"And you wanted me to have them, Mello? How sweet." Alice kissed Mello on his forehead as Matt handed her a box.

"Here, Ali. Open this one. It's just from me." He smiled as Alice wrapped the blue paper and saw Matt's Game boy and Tetris game. "Matt…" she said, smiling at him, "You didn't have to give me your favorite game."

"I wanted you to have it because you're so much fun to play with. L was always too busy to play with me." Alice kissed his forehead as well, "Thank you, Matt." Matt blushes and covers his eyes with his goggles as Near hold up a poorly wrapped gift. Mello snickered, "Man, Near. That's terrible. Who wrapped it?"

"I did. I had some trouble with the scissors," he said, quietly, handing Alice his gift, "I hope you like it, Ali." Alice looked at the gift then at Near's hands, noticing faint red marks on them. She unwrapped the gift and smiled. "Near, is this your favorite robot?" Near nodded and twirled his hair a bit.

"He was the first robot I got here. MegaRoboMan is my favorite, but I thought you should have it." Near looked up at Alice as she kissed his forehead, causing color to appear on his cheeks. Mello snickered, "Ooh, Near has a crush on Ali." Near looked at Mello, slightly annoyed.

"Okay, Mello. Why don't you open your gifts?" Alice asked, starting to see some conflict bubbling as Mello grabbed a nearby box and shook it.

"Wonder what this is…?" he asked as he heard popping from inside the box. Mello dropped the box in shock and hid behind Alice. She looked behind her to see Mello shaking a little. _So, he has been deeply affected by this…_ Alice thought as she opened the box and saw a popgun inside of it. "Mello, it's just a popgun. Nothing to be scared of," Alice said, holding it up as Mello hid his face.

"Santa's a loser… why would he give me that? I don't want it, Ali." Mello said as Alice put it away and patted Mello on his head.

"It's ok, Mello. Matt, you're next." Matt smiled and opened his box.

"Cool! A new Game boy color and… no way! Pokémon!" Matt said, jumping up and down, "I always wanted it!" Alice laughed as he started the game up and began playing. Mello looked at Matt then jumped down next to him, "I wanna see, Matt. Move your head." The young woman smiled as Near sat next to her with a box that was a little bigger than he was. He started to tear the paper off as Mello looked over at him.

"Hey, Near. Whatcha got? Hurry up and open it, already." Mello said as Near opened the box. Alice looked over and smiled. Near held up a bag of blocks, several model kits, and another blank puzzle. "Wow, Near. You got a lot," Alice said as Mello glared at Near.

"That's not fair! Why did you get eight things and all I got was a stupid little popgun?!" Mello yelled as Near sighed.

"Because I was good this year and didn't trick Matt into giving up his candy to a 'monster god'." Mello glared at him again, pulled out a chocolate bar and started eating it. Alice sighed as Near tapped her arm. She looked over at him as he held up a small box, "Hmm?"

"This is for you, Ali. I found it behind the tree." Alice took it and smiled, "And which one of you got me this?" Matt and Mello shook their heads, "Not us." She looked at Near as he shook his head, "Not me, either." Alice looked at the box and saw the tag.

"From L and Watari. I should have known," she laughed, unwrapping it. Inside the box, Alice saw a necklace with a silver cross on it. "Wow, a new necklace. They didn't have to…" she said, holding it up, "I don't deserve it." Alice looked around and smiled again; they were all enjoying their gifts and seemed so happy. She placed the necklace in her pocket as Mello handed her a cookie. This would be a good Christmas for them after all.


	6. New Year, New Problems

Chapter 6: New Year, New Problems

_"Thanks for the letter and photos, Alice. It makes this case a little more bearable knowing that they're in good hands. I'm sorry to hear about your arm and I hope that it gets better."_

"Thank you, L. I had a doctor check it out and he said I did well disinfecting it and removing the bullet. He also said that I can take off the sling soon."

"_Very well. I'll be sending a letter soon. Tell everyone I send my regards."_

Alice heard a click and hung up the phone. The old year had come and gone and the children seemed to enjoyed the new year's celebration they had: staying up until midnight, and having fun… although none of them actually stayed up until midnight. She remembered how Mello complained the next day about not staying up that late. Alice smiled as she felt something hit her head. She looked up to the top of the stairs and saw all three children dressed in bath robes, smiling. The young woman noticed the thing that hit her head was Near's rubber ducky. She picked it up and smiled at them, "Are you three ready for your bath?" Matt and Mello grinned as Alice started up the stairs.

"So, Ali. Who called?" Matt asked as she led them to the bathroom with several towels under her arm. "It was big brother calling. He said he got our letter and he misses you guys," Alice said, opening the door to the bathroom, "He might send us a letter as well." Matt smiled as Alice ran the bath water. She poured some bubble bath in as bubbles began to appear. "Ok. Which one of you big boys wants to go first?" Alice smiled as Mello raised his hands and she turned off the water, "Ok, Mello. Jump in." The blonde jumped into the tub and sighed.

"This is pretty nice, Ali. I want to soak in here for a while," he said as Alice poured shampoo in his hair and started washing it.

"Nope. You're getting clean and getting out. Matt and Near need to bathe as well," she laughed as Mello grumbled a bit. Alice poured water over Mello's head, rinsing away the suds and shampoo.

"All done. Next," Alice said as Mello stepped out of the tub, putting his robe back on and grabbing a towel for his hair, "Come over here, Matt." Matt hopped in with his goggles on and smiled.

"I like this hot spring. It replenishes my HP and MP," he said as Alice washes his hair, smiling.

"True and this potion will prevent you from getting ambushed for over 200 steps," she said, rinsing his hair, "Alright. You're all healed up now. Make room for the rest of your group." As Matt stepped out, he slipped and fell and his butt. Alice helped him to his feet and placed a towel on his head as he put his robe back on. Matt stood next to Mello as Alice looked over at Near.

"Your turn, Near," she said as Near looked down at the floor, playing with his hair a little, "What's wrong, Near?" Mello laughed, "I think he's nervous to have a girl see him naked…" Near looked up and sighed.

"At least I don't look like a girl."

"What was that, you albino freak?!" Alice sighed, "Matt, Mello. Why don't you guys go to your room and get dressed?" They nodded and left as Near sighed again. "I won't look, Near. I'm sure you can wash your own hair," Alice smiled, turning away from the tub. Near looked at her for a moment then got in. He washed his hair, rinsed it, and got out, putting his robe back on. "I'm finished, Alice," he said, quietly as Alice put a towel on his head.

"Okay, then. Let's get you dressed then," she said, smiling, leading him to his room.

"Alice…" Near said, twirling his wet hair, " Do you miss all your friends and family?" Alice thought for a second then said, "Yes, I do, but my job as a babysitter comes first. My parents understand as well as the headmaster at the school I attend." Near looked up at her, "Which school do you attend?" Alice smiled and opened his door, "Wellington's Girl Academy in northern Winchester. I think it's only a few blocks from here. Okay, then. When you're dressed, come down stairs." Near nodded as Alice walked down stairs. The woman looked at her arm sling and sighed; on the sling were three different signatures in three different colors. Alice smiled then saw Matt and Mello walking down the stairs with Near following behind. Each of them wearing a uniform similar to hers. "Big sis! What the heck are these things?!" Mello yelled, walking up to her, "I don't like it!"

"Those," she said, sounding like L, "are your new uniforms for when you start back at school next week. L said he had to wear one so you guys wearing one shouldn't kill you." Mello tugged at his shirt collar as Alice fixed his tie. "You three look very handsome," she smiled, taking Matt's goggles off and fixing Near's hair a little, "There. Let me get a picture of this for big brother." As she reached for her camera, Mello moaned.

"I hate these things… we all look alike now…" the blonde grumbled as Near sighed.

"At least you don't look like a girl now." Mello glared at Near then pounced him, knocking Near to the ground.

"Call me that one more time, Near!! I dare you!" Mello yelled as Alice pulled him off and sat him on the couch.

"Mello, what's gotten into you?!" Alice asked, scolding him as she turned to Near, "Are you ok, Near?" He sat up and rubbed his cheek then wiped his lip, "I'm fine. It's not the first time Mello threw a punch at me." Alice sighed, pulled out a napkin and gently wiped his lip, "Why would he punch you anyway?"

"Maybe he's jealous…"

"Or you have a way of trying his patience. Either way, try to keep some of your comments to yourself, ok?" Alice smiled, putting a bandage on his cheek, "There." She turned to Mello.

"And as for you, I'm going to take away all of your chocolate bars for a week." Mello grumbled something under his breath.


	7. The Truth

Chapter 7: The Truth

"Hurry up, you guys! You're going to be late!" Alice called from the bottom of the stairs. It was about 8:15 in the morning and everyone was running late. Alice crossed her arms and tapped her foot as the three boys ran down the stairs in their uniforms.

"Here we are, Ali!" Matt said as she sighed. "Alright then. Let's get going," she said, opening the door and flinching a little. Even though she took her cast off, her arm was still a little stiff and tender from being held in that same position for so long. As they all filed outside, Mello looked around.

"It's over there, Ali," he said, pointing to a building several yards away but still within the stone fence, "That's our school." Alice looked ahead and smiled. It looked like a small mansion with some playground equipment in the back.

"It's a school designed to find L's successors and since we are the top three, we get to live at Wammy's and get to see L all the time," Matt said, hiding a game in his pocket, "Near is at the top of the class, then Mello and me."

"I see. Are you three in the same class or in different ones?" Alice asked. Near twirled his hair a bit, "All three of us are in the same class with about 6 or 7 other children. The top 10 kids are grouped together. If I remember correctly, there's only one girl in out class…"

"Her name is Linda, Near," Mello moaned, thinking about her, "She's ranked 9 in our class and she's annoying."

"You say that about everyone, Mello," Matt laughed as they reached the front door.

"Okay, you guys. I'll be back around 2 to get you guys. We're going to stop for some ice cream afterwards, okay?" Alice smiled, hugging each of them, "See you guys later." As they walked inside and closed the door, Alice looked at her watch and sighed; she had the whole day to do whatever she wanted. She headed back to Wammy's and smiled.

Grabbing the broom and dustpan, Alice began to clean up from top to bottom. She'll admit that the place sorta when downhill since the Christmas incident, but now that she's healed she could properly clean up. She started in the living room; sweeping and wiping down the windows, as well as straightening things up. When she was finished, she headed into the kitchen and cleaned it as well. After cleaning all the room downstairs, she headed upstairs to clean each of the boys' room. Alice started with Mello's room and sighed; his room was very messy, as if a tornado had gone through it. Chocolate bar wrappers littered the floor, clothes were tossed carelessly around and she thought she saw a pile of papers moving around. As she cleaned up everything, putting things back where they belong, she saw a drawing that Mello did. She laughed a bit; it was a drawing of her dressed like L. She folded it and put it into her pocket.

She closed his door and headed into Matt's room. It was in the same shape as Mello's, but just a little neater. Alice had no trouble finishing his room and heading to Near's. As she opened the door, she saw how neat and tidy his room was and just closed the door. She walked down the stairs and left the broom and dustpan in the kitchen. She smiled as her stomach began growling. "I guess I forgot to eat breakfast in all the commotion of getting the boys ready," she said to herself as she walked into the living room and sat on the couch. She reached into her bag and pulled out a banana nut muffin and started eating it. The whole house was clean… and it was only turning noon. She smiled to herself at the thought of visiting her friends at school and going to see her parents. Alice stood up, grabbed her bike, and started towards Wellington's Academy.

She stopped in front of tall building with a metal fence and smiled; her school was indeed big for a private academy, but it held all of the richest girls of northern Winchester here. Alice stepped off her bike and started towards the gates. She noticed the security guard and held out her student ID card.

"Hello, sir. Alice Fairbrook, rank number 6." The guard looked at her ID then at a clipboard.

"I'm sorry, but there's no 'Alice Fairbrook' listed as a student here," he said, pressing a button, summoning the dean.

"What do you mean, I'm not listed as a student? It's only been a month since I last attended here."

"I'm sorry, miss, but you'll have to leave the grounds." Alice sighed as the dean walked up to the gate.

"Miss Fairbrook? Is that you?" he said as she smiled.

"Dean Brian, it's been too long. Please tell this guard I'm a student here." The young man took Alice's card and cut it in half.

"I'm sorry, Miss Fairbrook, but your parents withdrew you from this academy due to financial problems. We've sent your items to your home," the dean said, heading back inside, "You have 5 minutes to leave the grounds or I'll call the authorities." Alice glared slightly, got back on her bike and rode off. _What the hell is going on…? My parents withdrew me from the academy?_ She thought, riding towards her house.

Alice stopped in front of a small house on the opposite side of Winchester and sighed. She walked her bike into the front yard then walked up and knocked on the door. A woman who was about 30-something years old answered the door.

"Yes? What do you want?" she asked as Alice pouted.

"Goodness, mom. You forgot about me already?" Alice asked as the woman hugged Alice.

"Alice! How are you, dear? Oh, I've missed you." Alice hugged her mother back as a man walked up behind her mother. Alice looked up and gulped; her father was the time of person who used their size to frighten people into submission. Alice let go of her mother and stood at attention, "Hello, father." The man nodded and Alice relaxed.

"Where in hell have you been?" he asked.

"At the - -"

"What have I told you about hanging out with those orphanages? Do you want people to talk about our family? What if someone saw you?"

"Sir, I was only…"

"That's enough out of you, Alice. I want you to come home today." Alice looked up, "I can't leave today. The person I'm watching the children for hasn't returned yet." Her father growled a bit as she took a step back.

"I don't care if you kick me out or not; I won't leave those children alone." She knew as soon as she said that, her father was going to explode. Alice braced herself for an attack when she felt someone tug her skirt. She looked down and saw Mello with a frown on his face.

"Ali, where were you? We couldn't get inside," he said as she sighed. Alice looked back towards for parents then walked out, slamming the door.

"How did you three find me?" Alice asked, riding her bike with a wagon tied to it with Near, Matt and Mello sitting in it.

"We followed a trail of muffin crumbs and it led to your house…" Near yawns.

"I'm sorry you guys. Let's go get that ice cream now," she smiled.


	8. Homecoming

Chapter 8: Homecoming

Alice sat on the couch, still deep in thought. Why would her parents do this to her… and why would her friends act like they didn't know her? It made her mad just thinking about it.

"Ali! Did you hear me?" Mello asked, poking her arm, bringing Alice out of her thoughts.

"Hmm? What did you say, Mello?" she asked, smiling.

"Well, other than your ice cream is melting, big brother L is on the phone for you." Alice quickly looked at her hand and saw her ice cream cone dripping onto her shoes. She wiped it up and headed towards the phone.

"Hello?"

"_I see Mello finally got you to come to the phone."_

"Sorry for the wait, L. I had been doing some thinking about some things that's been happening."

"_Ah. I was calling to let you know that Watari and I will be back soon. In fact, tomorrow."_

"That's wonderful, L. Should I tell the others?"

"_If you want, Alice. I'll see you guys soon."_

When Alice heard a click, she turned to the others with a smile. "So, what did big brother want?" Mello asked, eating a bar of chocolate.

"He called to say he'll be back tomorrow," Alice answered as Mello looked up at her.

"Really? He's coming back?"

"Yes, he is."

"Yea! L's coming home!" Near sighed as Mello looked over at him.

"What's wrong with you, Near?" Mello asked as Near finished a puzzle he was working on.

"When L comes home, that means Ali will have to leave… we may not see her ever again…" Near said softly as the reality of what he said hit Mello. He had grown used to having Alice around and now couldn't think about Wammy's without her. Without thinking, Mello ran over to Alice and hugged her. The woman looked down and hugged Mello back.

"Don't worry, Mello… I'll come by here everyday and play with you guys. That's a promise."

"You better, Ali… if you don't, I'll find you and drag you here myself," Mello joked, laughing a bit. As Alice stood back up, she saw Matt sitting next to Near, watching him work on a 1,000,000- pieced picture puzzle. The young woman walked over to Near and smiled.

"What are you working on, Near?" Alice asked as Mello walked over to them, "What's the picture?" Near looked up for a moment then looked back at his puzzle with a small smile on his face.

"It's a picture Watari took of all of us when we first became candidates to become L's successor. That was 2 years ago. He had this puzzle made for me but just recently gave it to me." Alice kneeled down and smiled; Near had most of the puzzle finished. In the puzzle, Near was sitting on the floor playing with a rubber duck in pajamas that were too big for him; Mello stood next to him, eating a bar of chocolate while Matt sat next to him, playing a Game Boy Pocket. Behind all three of them was L, trying to get them to look at the camera.

"Aw, you guys were so cute back then," Alice said, smiling at them as Mello started to blush a bit. "What do you mean, "were"? I'm still cute," he said as Alice rubbed his head.

"I know that. I have an idea. Why don't we run to the market and pick up some sweets for big brother?"

"Yea! We got to get everything ready for big brother!" Mello said as Near sighed again.

After shopping, Alice placed the four brown bags on the table and smiled. "Okay. Let's see what we got for L," she said as the children sat in the chairs around the table. As she pulled the items from the bag, she named them as Near crossed them off a list: "Sweet strawberries… dipping chocolate… don't touch it, Mello… let's see… hard candies… shortcake mix… and tons of sugar cubes."

"That's everything, Ali. Should we start baking the cake?" Near asked as Alice put the bags away and grabbed a mixing bowl.

"We will. Mello, Matt. Get the rest of the ingredients and Near, clear the table." Near nodded as Matt and Mello began to get the butter, milk, flour and eggs. "What kind of cake do L like most?" Alice asked, pouring in the mix as well as the butter, milk, flour and eggs. Mello looked at Matt who looked Near. "Strawberry shortcake is his favorite," Near said, "It's really the only kind of cake he'll eat." Alice nodded and began mixing the batter.

"…You know, I really don't want L to come back home," Mello said as Matt turned to him.

"What are you talking about, Mello? Why don't you want L home?" Matt asked as Mello sighed.

"Alice is a lot better than L when it comes to playing with us, since L is always busy with his cases."

"Yea, I know what you mean… but still, I rather have both of them here with us. I love Alice as much as I love L."

"…Okay…" Mello scoffed, eating a bar of chocolate. Alice poured the batter into two baking pans and slid them into the oven. She looked up at the clock and sighed, "Bedtime, you guys."

"Awww! Do we have to, Ali?" Matt asked as she nodded.

"The sooner you guys go to sleep, the sooner L will be here," Alice smiled as they each hugged her, "I'll each of you in the morning." As the three children walked up the stairs, Alice sat down at the table and sighed. _After tomorrow, I'll have to face my father alone…_ Alice thought, shuttering a little. Her father's temper wasn't like a normal person's temper; the slightest thing could set him off, and after the other day, he most likely beat the living daylights out of her. She placed her head on the table and sighed again.

"Come on, you slowpoke! L's on his way home!" Mello yelled the next morning, running down the stairs, in his usual clothes as Matt followed behind him with Near at his heels. They ran into the kitchen to see Alice putting the last strawberry on top of the two layered cake. "Morning you guys," she said with a smile, "Breakfast is over on the counter." As each of them grab their bowls, the front door opened.

"Is anyone here?" a voice asked as Mello dropped his bowl and ran for the door.

"L! You're back!!" he said, arms opened to hug L. L simply stepped to the left and let Mello run into Watari.

"I missed you too, Mello," L said as Matt latched himself to L's leg.

"Big brother! I've missed you!" Matt said, smiling as L patted his head.

"I missed you as well, Matt. Could you please let my leg go?" Matt lets go as Near walk up to L.

"Welcome back, L," Near said, quietly as L nodded and noticed Alice walking up to him as well. His eyes fell on the cake she was carrying.

"Welcome home, L. We baked a cake for you," Alice smiled. L walked over to her and smiled as well.

"Thank you. It's good to be back."


	9. L's Past and Alice's Future

Chapter 9: L's Past and Alice's Future

"Come on, L. Tell us about your case!" Mello said, sitting next to L as he ate some of the cake. "You really don't want to hear about it," L answered with a mouthful of cake.

"Yea, I do! How did he look like? How did you catch him?" L put his fork down and turned to Mello.

"His name was Beyond Birthday and he, like you, was suppose to be my successor. But when he cracked under the pressure, he ran from Wammy's and became a serial killer. You could say he was obsessed with becoming my successor that he started copying my habit and even dressed like me. If you want to see him in your mind, just picture me with blood red eyes and an evil, sadistic grin on my face…"

"That's enough, L!" Mello yelled, covering his ears, "I'm gonna have nightmares now." L smirked and picked up his fork again, "Told you you wouldn't want to hear it. Oh, I brought you guys something." Mello smiled as Watari handed Mello, Matt, and Near a small wrapped box. "Whatcha get us, big brother?" Matt asked, opening the box.

"I got each of you a necklace while I was in America. Mello, yours is a rosary necklace with a wooden cross on it; Matt, I found yours at a video game convention. I believe one of the characters in your game have the same one; and Near, yours is a crystal pendant that's suppose to bring you good luck in whatever you do." Matt and Mello quickly put theirs on as Near placed his in his pocket. Alice, who sat across from L, smiled, seeing the younger three happy. L turned his attention to Alice, who blushed slightly.

"I didn't forget you, Alice," he said, holding out a small box, "A monogrammed pink heart for you." Alice blushed again as she took the box from L.

"Thank you, L," she said, opening the box and smiling, "It's beautiful." L smiled as Watari walked over to Alice.

"Miss Alice," he said, turning Alice's attention to him and her bags behind him, "It's time for you to go back home." The smiles that were on Matt, Mello and Alice's face disappeared at those words. "Do she have to?" Matt and Mello asked at the same time.

"I'm afraid so. Remember, she was here to watch over the three of you while L and I were away," Watari answered with a straight face as Mello hugged Alice tightly.

"NO! I don't want her to leave! I want her to stay here!" he yelled, earning a curious look from L, "She saved our lives! She shouldn't have to go back home! She doesn't even have a home to go home to!"

"What do you mean?" L asked as Mello looked at him.

"Her parents kicked her out because she wanted to stay with us when they wanted her home."

"Really now?" L looked at Alice as she sighed heavily.

"They didn't kick me out…" Alice said, lowering her eyes to the blonde child still wrapped around her waist, "…I just told them if they did, I wouldn't leave Matt, Mello and Near alone." L nodded as Near sat close to Alice.

"If you do leave, Ali, please come back and visit us," he said softly, playing with his hair as Alice hugged him gently.

"Of course I'll visit," she said as Watari opened the door.

"Miss Alice, it's time," he said, looking outside, "And not a moment too soon. It looks like it's going to rain." Alice looked down at the three children and hugged them tightly as L stood up.

"Watari, I want to come along with you when you drop off Alice," he said as Alice looked at him.

"You don't have to…" she said, picking up her backpack as L walked up to her.

"I insist." Alice nodded then turned to the three children, who had tears in their eyes. She gave them each a small kiss on the forehead and walked outside.

Neither L or Alice said anything as Watari drove the car towards Alice's home. Alice looked outside the foggy car window as the rain began to pick up. She saw the silhouettes of people running to get out of the ran made by the brightly lit streetlights. She thought about what was going to happen when she got home: maybe her father would lock her in her room for a week without food like he did when she came home with a "B" on her report card… or maybe he'll force her into the small broom closet for two days, causing her to have a small claustrophobic episode; maybe he would be merciful and just hit her, but that was wishful thinking.

The car came to a stop as Alice sighed heavily. "Thank you, Mr. Watari," she said sadly, opening the door and grabbing her bags, "I won't forget you guys." She closed the door and walked up to the porch and sighed. Watari shifted gears as L grabbed his shoulder.

"Don't leave just yet, Watari," L said, looking outside. Alice knocked on the door and held her breath. If her mom answered, she knew she had a smaller chance of getting hit. The door opened and her father stood there with a scowl on his face. Alice gulped and shivered, not from the cold of the rain, but from the piercing look her father gave her.

"What in hell are you doing back here?" he asked, his speech a little slurred.

"Well, the person I was sitting for came back… so I came home."

"You…came here? You don't live here anymore."

"W-what??"

"That's right. You didn't listen to me when I told your ass to get home so you don't live here anymore! You can go live at that damned orphanage you care so much about!" Alice felt tears building up as she dropped her bags.

"What?! You kicked me out?! Why in hell- -"

"You have ten minutes to get off my property…" he said, pointing a shotgun at Alice, "… or I'll shoot." He slammed the door as the rain began to fall harder. Tears began falling down her face as she turned away from the door and walked towards the street, becoming very drenched from the rain. She noticed a pile of her things by the street were burned and carelessly dumped. As the reached the sidewalk, Watari stepped out of the car and placed his jacket over her shoulders.

"Huh?… Watari, what are you guys still doing here?" she asked as he opened the door for her.

"L insisted we stay here in case something happened," he answered as L stepped out and walked to the porch, "Hmm? L?" L knocked on the door as it flew open and Alice's father stood there.

"Who the hell are you?" he asked the teenager.

"Excuse me, are you Mr. Fairbrook?" L asked, staring at the older man with his emotionless eyes.

"Who wants to know?"

"Did you just kick out your teenaged daughter?"

"Hmm? I don't have a teenaged daughter. I disowned that disobedient, little- -" Before he could finish his sentence, he was interrupted by a kick to the face. He fell to his back with a loud 'thud' as his wife and a small girl run up to him. L looked at the woman then the girl.

"Linda, what are you doing here?" he asked as she looked at him, "These are very bad people, Linda."

"Really? Can I go back to Wammy's with you, L?" she asked as the man sat up.

"So, this punk is L… are you sure he isn't pretending to be L?" he asked as Linda shakes her head.

"It's the real L. He just came back from a case in the US." L glared down at the man.

"You shouldn't be allowed to be a father. You claim that orphanages are below you and your family, yet you adopt one of my successors. You are nothing but a hypocrite…" L said as the man glare up at the teen, "I'll be back for Linda soon. If I find so much as a hair out of place, you will experience something far worse than Hell itself." L walked back to the car, leaving the man speechless. Watari opened the door for him as L sat down inside and sighed, calming himself down. Watari sat down in the driver's seat and started driving as L looked over at Alice. She was still shivering from the rain and crying; her clothes were completely soaked from standing in the rain for so long. L leaned closer to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders and hugged her.

"It's going to be alright, Alice," he said softly, trying to comfort her, "He will pay for what he's done." Alice hugged L back, crying softly on his shoulder. L looked down at her softly for a moment before speaking again: "When I was younger, I loved reading complex books and solving mysteries. At first, my father and mother were proud of me for doing so much at such a young age… but then when I began to learn about how my parents earned so much money through illegal means, they tried to stop me. But when I didn't quit, my father gave me a choice to make: stop what I was doing or be kicked out. He, however, never gave me the chance to choose. I went to bed one night, then when I woke up, I was in front of Wammy's House with just my pajamas and my favorite book." L held Alice tighter as a single tear fell down his cheek, "Lucky for me, Watari found me before I froze to death…" Alice looked up at him and wiped his tear away.

"That's so terrible… how could he do such a thing to such a wonderful person like you?" Alice asked, "No wonder you told off my father like that." L looked outside, noticing that they were in front of a bakery and Watari was gone. L looked down at Alice and smiled.

"I don't worry about it anymore. My past might have been an unhappy one, but it doesn't matter." Alice nodded and wiped her eyes as L gently pressed his lips on her forehead and held her in his arms.


	10. The Newest Wammy

Chapter 10: The Newest Wammy

Alice sat down in front of the fireplace, still shivering form the rain; Watari walked in front of her and lit the few logs, setting the boxes from the bakery down on the table behind her. As he walked into the kitchen, L sat next to Alice, looking at the fire as it quickly grew in size. From the corner of his eyes, he saw Alice hug her knees closer to her chest, either in an attempt to warm up or to comfort herself. Although her tears were hidden by the rain, he was able to see them clearly inside against the soft light of the fire. He wanted to comfort her more, just something to make her smile… but before he was able to say anything, Watari came back with a silver tray with a cake on it, already cut into slices, as well as two saucers, two forks, spoons, a spatula, two cups of tea, and a bowl of sugar cubes. L looked up at Watari for a moment then looked back at the fire. Watari nodded, leaving the two teens alone. L took a slice of cake, placed it on a saucer and sat it next to Alice. "You need to eat something, Alice," he said, softly as Alice shook her head a bit. He sighed a bit, taking a slice of cake for himself and ate a little of it before reaching for a teacup. L couldn't help but feel a bit helpless; he might have been the world's greatest detective, but when it came down to personal matters, he was clueless on how to handle it. Alice placed her head on her knees, sighing heavily.

"I have no place to live, L…" she said, quietly, trying to fight back tears, "I have absolutely nothing to my name except the clothes and things I brought with me when I first came here…" L looked over at her, putting his cup down. _So, that's what's been troubling her_, he thought as she looked at the fire. "What am I going to do now, L? I have no home, no school, no friends, no family…" Alice said as tears ran down her face again, "I might as well be dead."

"Don't say that, Alice," he said, sitting closer to her, "You have plenty reason to live." She looked over at L.

"Name one reason."

"I can name three: Matt, Mello, and Near. The three of them love you and would hate it if you were to die on them."

"But what am I going to do about a place to live?"

"You could always stay here as a permanent resident of Wammy's House." Alice's eyes grew wide in surprise.

"R-really? But I though when a child turns 15, they have to leave. I turn 15 next month."

"I'll talk to Watari about letting you stay here as long as you need to," L said, smiling softly at her. Alice smiled back and hugged him.

"Thank you so much, L. I'll never forget this," she said, letting L go. L looked into her eyes for a moment and couldn't stop staring. Alice began to blush a bit, noticing that L was staring into her eyes. There was something about her cerulean blue eyes that held the detective in a trance. He felt himself being drawn closer to her, as if he wanted to kiss her. Alice felt the same way and closed her eyes out of anxiousness. Just as he was less than an inch away from her lips, he heard footsteps walking down the stairs and quickly pulled away from her. Alice quickly scooted away, looking towards the floor as Mello and Matt ran into the living room, smiling from ear to ear.

"Ali! You're back!" Mello yelled, hugging her then letting her go, "You're all wet, Ali. What happened?" Alice looked at the young child and smiled. "Guess what, Mello? I'm going to live here with you guys."

"No way… Really, Ali?"

"If Watari says I can." Mello smiled again and hugged her as tightly as he could.

"Yea! Ali is staying with us forever!" he said as Matt hugged her as well. Alice laughed a bit, then looked over at L, who smiled a little. "Okay, you two. Back to bed with the both of you," L said, eating a slice of cake, "If memory serves, you both have an exam in the morning." Mello pouted as Matt let go of Alice and gave L a hug. "Okay, big brother. Good night, L. Night, Alice," Matt said, walking back up the stairs with Mello following behind. "At least they know I'll still be here for them," Alice said with a smile as she reached for the slice of cake L had offered her earlier. She took a bite of it, looking over at L. "I really owe a lot to you, L," she whispered, "I'm forever in your debt." L looked over at her and smiled, "Don't worry, you'll pay me back one way or another."

The next morning, Alice woke up and noticed that she had slept against the couch and a blanket was wrapped around her shoulders. She looked up and saw two pairs of eyes staring at her. "Morning, sis," Mello said, holding out a cup of hot chocolate for her, "Did you sleep well?" Alice rubbed her eyes and took the cup. "What time is it?" she asked, sleepily.

"About 9 in the morning," Matt said, "We wanted to make sure you were okay and everything."

"Aren't the two of you late for school?" she asked, taking a sip and flinching a little for burning her tongue. Mello grinned, "Near went on to school, and we thought big brother was in here with you. But when we saw you here, by yourself, we decided to stay until you woke up. Besides, L doesn't know we're here."

"I do now," L said, walking over to them as they run to the door. "See you later, Ali!" they said, running out the door. Alice giggled a little as L sat beside her and held up a document for her to see. "Hmm? What's that, L?" she asked, looking at it.

"Your legal papers. You are now an official member of Wammy's House. Anything about your past, including education and your time with your parents, no longer matter. You literally have no past now. Once Watari determines your IQ, you will be given a code name." Alice looked at him, "A code name? For what?"

"Think of it as your alias for cases. Giving out your real name in the real world could be dangerous if you're not careful, so a code name is given to each child who comes to Wammy's."

"Even Matt, Mello, and Near have one?"

"Yes. Their real names are classified and are kept a closely guarded secret. Only Watari, Roger, and I know their names." Alice nodded as Watari walked over to the teens.

"Miss Alice, are you ready for your test?"

"Test? What test?"

"Your IQ test, Miss Alice, to determine where you stand among the others here." Alice stood up and smiled. "I am."

Watari led Alice to a small testing room inside the school, away from the eyes of the younger children who were, for the most part, too busy studying or taking notes for their respective classes. Alice looked into one class and saw Near at the blackboard, solving a very difficult math problem. "Out of the three chosen to be L's successor, Near has the highest IQ," Watari said, opening a door to an empty room with a single desk with a small packet of papers on it, "In here, Miss Alice." Alice walked in and sat down. "You have up to 30 minutes to complete the test. I wish you the best of luck," Watari said, closing to door, leaving Alice alone. As Watari headed towards the front of the building, he saw L walking towards him.

"Is Alice taking the test now?" the teen asked as Watari nodded, "Are you sure she should be tested while recovering from such a traumatic event?"

"Well, each of you were tested under similar conditions, as so were the other children."

Alice stood in Watari's office a few hours later while both Watari and L looked over her test. Watari looked up at her and smiled.

"According to this, Miss Alice, your IQ is that of a highly gifted genius," Watari said as Alice smiled, "That's why I've appointed you to be L's immediate successor in the event of L's death." Alice froze, "W-what? His immediate successor? What about the other three?"

"Keep in mind, Alice, that they are still little children and if I were to die, none of them could take over for me," L said, eating a cupcake, "That's why I asked Watari to name you my immediate successor… Athena."

"Athena? Is that my…?"

"It is. Do you like it?" L asked with a smile, "I chose it myself." Alice bowed in respect, "I like it. Thank you so much. Both of you."

"Welcome to Wammy's House, Athena."


	11. Strawberry Kisses

Chapter 11: Strawberry Kisses

"Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday dear Matt happy birthday to you!"

Matt grinned from ear to ear, looking at the wrapped gifts and the cake with 6 lit candles. "Make a wish and blow out the candles, Matt," Alice said as he leaned up to the cake. He thought about it for a minute before blowing all the candles out.

"What did you wish for, Matt?" Mello asked as Watari began cutting the cake. "I'm not saying, Mello. If I did, it wouldn't come true," Matt said.

"Did you wish that Ali would stay with us forever?" Mello asked as Matt nodded. Near sat on the couch next to Alice while L sat across from her, apparently deep in thought. Alice looked over at L; since that evening she came back, L has been, in a way, avoiding eye contact with her. Maybe it had something with the fact that they nearly kissed.

"Here's your slice of cake, Ali," Matt said, holding up a saucer with a medium-sized piece on it. Alice smiled and took it. "Thank you, Matt. It looks yummy." Mello held up a slice for L, but he refused it.

"What's wrong, L?" Mello asked, "It's not carrot cake…" L looked down at Mello then stood up.

"I'm just not hungry, Mello. I'll be in my office," he said leaving.

"That's a first…" Watari said, worried as Alice sighed. Matt sat in front of Alice.

"Ali, what's up with L? Do you know?"

"I don't know, Matt," she said before smiling, "Maybe he's thinking about what to give me for my birthday."

"Huh? Your birthday is coming up?"

"It's on Valentine's Day, Matt. In two weeks, I'll be 15."

"Wow, Ali! You'll be old!" Alice stopped for a moment as Near looked over at Matt.

"She's younger than L, Matt. He's the old one," Near said as Mello glared at Near.

"Don't talk bad about L, Near," the blonde said, eating a chunk from his slice of cake as Near sighed.

Later than evening, after the younger three had gone off to bed, Alice walked up to L's office and knocked. "Come in," she heard L say from behind the door. She opened the door and stepped in. L was sitting at his desk, facing away from the door, looking over piles of papers, "What is it, Alice?" She walked up to him.

"Why have you been avoiding eye contact with me, L?" He stopped shuffling the papers as Alice walked up behind him.

"Is it because of what almost happened that you won't look at me now? Are you that afraid of falling in love?"

"…Who ever said I was afraid of falling in love, Alice?" he asked quietly, "Besides, I have my reasons."

"What are they, L? Give me one good reason why you won't look at me." L didn't say anything as Alice sighed. "You don't have to say anything, L," she said, walking towards the door, "I understand." Once she was out of the room, L sighed. He looked down at the papers again; each page had an image of Alice on it. He couldn't explain why he felt like he did whenever she was nearby… maybe he was in love.

After much thought, roughly two weeks worth, L walked to Watari's office and knocked on the door. "Hmm? Come in," Watari said as L walked in, "Oh, L. What is it?" The teen sat down in front of his desk and sighed, "Watari, I don't know what's wrong with me… I can't seem to concentrate on anything."

"Really? Why is that?"

"All I can think about is Alice. Even ever she's nearby, my heart begins to race… do you think I'm sick?" Watari chuckled a little as L looked at him. "It seems like you're in love, L," the older man said, "And with Alice, no less." The teen sat there in shock for a moment.

"Oh, don't forget that today is Alice's birthday," Watari said, snapping L out of his stupor, "I hope you have something nice for her. She seems upset with you." L had completely forgotten that Alice hadn't spoken to him since Matt's birthday. He stood up and left Watari's office, looking for Alice.

"Blow out your candles, Ali!" Mello said as she blew out the 15 candles on her two layer cake.

"Thank you guys for the wonderful cake," she said, cutting it as L walked up behind her.

"Happy birthday, Alice," he said, softly as she looked up at him. He leaned over and whispered in her ear, "I have a very special gift for you. Come by my office later on today." She nodded as L walked away, somehow getting a big slice of cake.

Later that evening, Alice headed to L's office. She knocked on the door and walked in. "Hey, L?" she asked, closing the door behind her, "What did you get me for my birthday?" L looked at her for a moment before walking over to her. He stopped an inch away from her and stared into her eyes. Alice stared back, feeling her cheeks beginning to blush; she saw emotions behind L's eyes: love, confusion… and desire. The teen placed his hands on Alice's shoulders and pulled her into a kiss. Alice's eyes widened in shock for a moment before slowly closing and she began to kiss him back. _So, she does love me back… _he thought for a moment before allowing himself to enjoy the sensation the kiss brought. It wasn't long before the need to breathe separated them. As they stood in each other's arms, Alice laid her head on L's chest and L wrapped his arms around her.

"Alice… I love you…" he whispered, putting a hand on the back of her head.

"And I love you, L," she answered, smiling. He smelled like strawberries and she enjoyed it. L pulled away for a moment, earning a look from Alice. The dark-haired teen smiled at her before kissing her again, wrapping his arms around her to keep her close.


End file.
